International Forum on Payments for Environmental Services of Tropical Forests

Objectives

The main objective of the International Forum is to discuss the conditions under which the sustainability of current PES mechanisms can be improved and the challenges to their scaling-up and mainstreaming can be effectively addressed. The focus of the Forum’s deliberations will be on institutional innovation and maximizing efficiency and effectiveness in implementation with the goal of bridging the gap between science, policy and practice of PES.

To this end, the Forum specifically intends to:

a) explore experiences, opportunities and challenges on how PES can help reduce poverty and support SFM with a particular attention to payments for the following environmental services:

b) report on the potential and challenges of remuneration systems for PES;

c) identify the policy, legal, socio-economic and environmental factors, including gender, tenure and traditional knowledge, that are critical for the effective development of PES with a view to make recommendations for further advancement of PES mechanisms at local, national and international levels; and

d) promote and facilitate cooperation among partners including South-South partnerships and among bilateral and multilateral PES initiatives.

Partipants

It is expected that up to 200 participants will take part in the Forum including a range of stakeholders from policymakers to practitioners in the field of forestry with particular interest in payments for environmental services provided by tropical forests.